This invention relates to a hydraulic lift system in general, and in particular relates to a hydraulic service lift for fork lift trucks and the like.
Industrial vehicles such as fork lift trucks are in need of constant repair and maintenance. A substantial amount of the maintenance and repair work on such industrial vehicles, such as oil and grease jobs, transmission repair, wheel bearing packing and the like, requires the vehicle to be elevated for ready access to the undercarriage. Thus, there is a need for a service lift to elevate the vehicle. Also, since downtime for vehicles such as fork lift trucks is expensive, it is desirable to have the service and repair facility for the trucks as close as possible to the point of normal use of the equipment.
Accordingly, there is a demand for portable hydraulic lift equipment which will efficiently and safely elevate fork lift trucks and the like for service and repair and which is sufficiently portable to be conveniently moved from location to location, as the need arises. To facilitate service and repair operations, the portable lift should provide maximum unobstructed access to the under-side of the truck being serviced. To minimize labor costs and to facilitate portability, the lift should be readily installed at different locations without using mounting devices such as lag bolts to secure the lift in the desired position. The lift also should be compact and light weight while having a high-loading capacity. The lift design should further include safety features which eliminate potentially dangerous or obstructing parts, such as scissor lifting arms and the like.
The above objects are accomplished by the present invention which provides a portable, hydraulically operated, service lift having a cantilevered design. The lift in accordance with this invention will readily receive industrial equipment such as fork lift trucks and is sufficiently portable to be moved to any location which is convenient for servicing the trucks on a regular basis. Since no mounting bolts are needed, the lift likewise can be moved to a new location as the need arises. The cantileverd design provides substantial and unobstructed access to the under-side of the elevated equipment for easy service and repair. The lift is designed to have safety locking features which signal the locked or unlocked condition of the lift and guard against accidental lowering. At the same time, the lift structure provides a strong assembly having a high loading capacity and a compact design. Efficient hydraulic rams are used to elevate the cantilevered platform directly, thereby eliminating the need for other lifting devices, such as scissor arms, which may obstruct the access to the underside of the elevated equipment.